Are you wanting to learn more about civil rights? Well you’ve come to the right place. This is a curated list of the best civil rights podcasts of 2021.
We have selected these podcasts for a variety of reasons, but they are all well worth a listen. We tried to select a variety of podcasts across the spectrum from hosts with a wide breadth of experience.
We are always keen to hear your feedback, if we have missed a podcast, Twitter us Pretty Progressive (Twitter) and we will check it out!
Best Civil Rights Podcasts 2021
With thanks to ListenNotes, Crunchbase, SemRush and Ahrefs for providing the data to create and rank these podcasts.
At Liberty
- Publisher: ACLU
- Total Episodes: 166
At Liberty is a weekly podcast from the ACLU that explores the biggest civil rights and civil liberties issues of the day. A production of ACLU, Inc.
Leo Terrell: America’s Fair Minded Civil Rights Attorney
- Publisher: Cumulus Media Los Angeles
- Total Episodes: 34
Leo Terrell – Renowned Civil Rights Attorney, Author of Your Rights at the Work Place: The Things Your Boss Won’t Tell You, former Public School Teacher and frequent Television and KABC Radio commentator.
Intersectionality Matters!
- Publisher: African American Policy Forum
- Total Episodes: 37
Intersectionality Matters! is a podcast hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and a leading scholar of critical race theory.
Pod for the Cause
- Publisher: The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
- Total Episodes: 38
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights launched “Pod for the Cause” podcast to expand the conversation on critical civil and human rights challenges of our day: census, justice reform, policing, education, fighting hate & bias, judicial nominations, fair courts, voting rights, media & tech, economic security, immigration, and human rights. Through this expanded dialogue, we want to spur activism that drives change in our communities and country. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to the show on your favorite podcast app and leave a 5-star review.
Witness History: Witness Black History
- Publisher: BBC World Service
- Total Episodes: 88
Interviews with people who were there at key moments in black and civil rights history
Inclusive Education Project Podcast
- Publisher: Amanda Selogie and Vickie Brett: Special Education and Civil Rights Attorne
- Total Episodes: 172
Disability rights is the next frontier in civil rights. We believe education is the key to building an inclusive society and ensuring that all students are given an equal opportunity. The Inclusive Education Project Podcast, hosted by Special Education and Civil Rights attorneys, Amanda Selogie and Vickie Brett, offers a fresh, smart perspective on what it takes to truly make our educational systems and communities inclusive. Tune in each week as Amanda and Vickie share insight on topics ranging from education reform to advocating for equal rights for all students, and participating in modern activism. This show will also offer user-friendly resources to help you and your family navigate the educational playing field.
For The Movement
- Publisher: National Urban League
- Total Episodes: 78
For The Movement elevates and discusses persistent policy, social and civil rights issues affecting African Americans and communities of color.
MIP Make It Plain with Mark Thompson
- Publisher: DCP Entertainment
- Total Episodes: 319
The Rev. Mark A. Thompson has spent most of his life as a political, civil rights & human rights activist and organizer. He not only has been a part of every major social justice movement & event over the past 35 years, he has also been a radio broadcaster for three decades, and he has spent over 10 years as a television commentator, as well. Mark, hosts Make It Plain, a political, human rights and non-mainstream news podcast. Mark’s lifelong social justice activism intersects with his years of experience broadcasting the news and issues of the day. Newsmakers, politicos, policy-makers, entertainers and athletes alike make MIP a frequent sojourn.
Law Pod UK
- Publisher: Law Pod UK
- Total Episodes: 144
Law Pod UK covers developments across all aspects of civil and public law in the United Kingdom. It is brought to you by the barristers at 1 Crown Office Row with presenters Rosalind English and Emma-Louise Fenelon. More info on our highly recommended podcast on the UK Human Rights Blog.
Teaching Hard History
- Publisher: Learning for Justice
- Total Episodes: 55
What we don’t know about American history hurts us all. Teaching Hard History begins with the long legacy of slavery and reaches through the civil rights movement to the present day. Brought to you by Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) and hosted by Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Teaching Hard History brings us the lessons we should have learned in school through the voices of scholars and educators. It’s great advice for teachers and good information for everybody.
Radio Dispatch
- Publisher: The Knefels, BTRtoday
- Total Episodes: 991
Radio Dispatch is a weekly podcast covering progressive politics, hosted by siblings John and MJ Knefel. The show features journalists, authors, organizers, and artists, as well as John and MJ’s own original reporting and analysis. From civil liberties and privacy to civil rights and intersectional feminism, Radio Dispatch covers the news from a point of view that values recognizing and discussing power and privilege. John and MJ’s journalism can be found at Rolling Stone, Buzzfeed, Vice, The New Inquiry and more. Listeners are the most important part of Radio Dispatch, and the show strives to amplify the stories and narratives from those on the other end of the microphone.
Vital Interests Podcast
- Publisher: JAY-VEE Productions
- Total Episodes: 45
Hosted by Karen Greenberg. Brought to you by the Center on National Security, Vital Interests Podcast was designed to help you think about security in its many dimensions, from pandemic to climate change, from terrorism to population migration, from war to peace – all with an eye towards the rule of law, the protection of human rights and the respect for civil liberties. Twitter: @VI_PodcastCNS, @KarenGreenberg3.
Mobituaries with Mo Rocca
- Publisher: CBS News, Inc.
- Total Episodes: 22
Mo Rocca has always loved obituaries. In season 1 of Mobituaries he introduces listeners to the people who have long intrigued him—from the 20th century’s greatest entertainer … to the Civil Rights pioneer who is completely forgotten … to sitcom characters gone all too soon. Even if you know the names, you’ve never understood why they matter…until now. And if you enjoy these episodes, look for more stories of great lives worth reliving when Mobituaries returns for season 2 in fall 2019.
Assange Countdown to Freedom
- Publisher: Randy Credico
- Total Episodes: 51
Political satirist, civil rights activist, and journalist Randy Credico interviews artists, activists, intellectuals and politicians about the imprisonment and persecution of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
Know Your Kanoon
- Publisher: IVM Podcasts
- Total Episodes: 88
How aware do you think you are about your laws? Do you look up laws and sections of the IPC, and say to yourself, ‘it’s complicated?’ Well, Know Your Kanoon is a podcast to help you inch closer to understanding the laws and your rights. As a civil, criminal and tax lawyer, Amber Rana addresses questions from listeners and gives you insights into the various implications of the laws, rights, and sections under specific circumstances. This show aims to bring clarity and awareness about the legal justice system in India.
Max & Murphy
- Publisher: Max & Murphy
- Total Episodes: 319
Gotham Gazette is a pioneering nonpartisan New York City-based online watchdog publication that covers city and state government, and has a rich tradition of reporting on local elections as well as policy that affects everything from the spaces where New Yorkers live and play to police tactics and civil rights. It is published by Citizens Union Foundation.
Homeland Insecurity
- Publisher: RAICES
- Total Episodes: 9
How Fear Changed America. Homeland Insecurity is a new documentary podcast from RAICES that chronicles the untold story of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). We go back to the beginning, when our government built a powerful new agency in the wake of 9/11 to protect America from terrorists—only to use that agency to terrorize immigrants. From family separation to federal agents deployed in Portland, the scope and cruelty of DHS continues to expand, begging the question: Is anyone safe? Season 1 is hosted by civil rights leader Erika Andiola, a galvanizing voice in the fight for migrant justice.
The Art of Asymmetrical Warfare
- Publisher: Sam Amenn
- Total Episodes: 39
The Art of Asymmetrical Warfare discusses the history of various asymmetrical conflicts, focusing on the human and tactical dimensions. Join us as we explore civil wars, guerilla warfare, various resistance movements and stretch the definition to delve into civil disobedience and civil rights movements. Icon created by the talented @GraphicsHub3 Theme song is Symphony no. 5 in Cm, Op. 67 – III. Allegro
Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Podcast
- Publisher: The Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review
- Total Episodes: 17
A discussion of the most important current events in law and legal scholarship produced by the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review (CR-CL), the nation’s leading progressive law journal. CR-CL was founded in 1966 as an instrument to advance personal freedoms and human dignities, and seeks to catalyze progressive thought and dialogue through the promotion of innovative legal perspectives.
Rights Talk
- Publisher: CCNY Downtown
- Total Episodes: 20
With authoritarianism, nationalism, and xenophobia on the rise, gaping global wealth disparities, and the accelerating climate emergency, human rights appear increasingly fragile. Rights Talk is devoted to engaging contemporary challenges around the world across the human rights spectrum of civil and political rights; economic, social, and cultural rights; and solidarity rights, including to a safe and healthy environment. The podcast invites critical perspectives and questions the future of rights in the twenty-first century. __________________________________________________ Music Carefree by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3476-carefreeLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
